Neck of asylum seeker killed on Manus Island 'had been cut'

Michael Gordon and Judith Ireland

A protester smears fake blood on the immigration office in Lonsdale Street while a crowd chants that the government has blood on its hands over this week's violence on Manus Island. Photo: Pat Scala

The Iranian man who died during violent clashes on Manus Island this week suffered a cut to the neck and head injuries, according to an employee at the detention centre who was with him before he died.

The man, who has asked that his name not be used, also said he saw another asylum seeker whose throat had been cut, and another whose face was swollen beyond recognition. He said more than one of those injured suffered gunshot wounds.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison confirmed on Friday that the deceased asylum seeker was 23-year-old Reza Barati, who arrived on Christmas Island last July and been transferred to Manus Island in late August.

Reza Berati.

The employee said he helped tend to the injured after the attack, which asylum seekers told him had been perpetrated by locals employed by security contractor G4S and police.

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He said asylum seekers in fear of their lives had been pulled from their rooms, beaten and told by their attackers: ''You want freedom? We'll give you freedom tonight.''

He also supported the account of interpreter Azita Bokan, who told Fairfax Media the asylum seekers had been told last Sunday that they had no prospect of being resettled and should return to their homeland - a claim that has since been denied.

Mr Morrison said Mr Barati's body was being moved to Port Moresby with a police escort, to ''maintain the integrity of evidence''.

An autopsy will be conducted in Port Moresby with assistance from Australia. Once police investigations are complete, Australia will ''assist'' with the repatriation of Mr Barati.

Mr Morrison said Australian diplomats had conveyed ''the deep sympathies of the Australian government to the family of the deceased''.

Mr Morrison also named the former head of the Attorney-General's Department, Robert Cornall, as leader of a government inquiry into this week's violence on Manus Island. The terms of reference will be finalised next week and published on the department's website.

The Immigration Minister said the review would ''look closely'' at the actions of security services contracted at the detention centre. He also told reporters in Canberra on Friday there were ''many answers that still have to come'' about the clashes that left Mr Barati dead and dozens injured.

''We intend to be patient and ask that you also be patient,'' he said.

Mr Morrison revised the number of asylum seekers injured in Monday's incident from 77 to 62. He also told reporters that no boats had arrived in the past week.

''There has not now been a successful people-smuggling venture to Australia for 64 days,'' he said.

21 Feb
The Abbott government has suffered the ignominy of having its asylum seeker policy publicly criticised by another foreign government - this time China, a country with its own chequered human rights record.

22 Feb
Australian security staff will be investigated over their role in the Manus Island detention centre riot that left one man dead and scores injured, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has conceded.